James City County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

James City County

Guide to James City County, Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Williamsburg Organized: 1634 Parent County(s): Original county Neighboring Counties Charles City  • Gloucester  • King and Queen  • New Kent  • Newport News (Independent City)  • Surry  • Williamsburg (Independent City)  • York See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

James City County is located in the Eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and took its name from King James I, the father of the then-king, Charles I.

County Courthouse

James City County Courthouse
5201 Monticello Avenue, #2
Williamsburg, Va 23188-8218
Phone: 757-564-2400
James City County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1865-1883; death records 1864-1884; marriage, divorce, probate, court, and land records from 1865

James City County, Virginia Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1865	1865	1864	1865	1865	1865	1810
* Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

James City County and Williamsburg shared a courthouse starting in 1770. During the American Civil War, many of their courthouse records were moved to Richmond for safekeeping, but were destroyed by the 3 April 1865 fire. Consequently, few court records from prior to that date exist, although a few records from the 1850s are housed in the current Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse. Deed Book 1 and Will Book 1 both include some records from the 1850s. Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810, 1890 Visit the Library of Virginia's website to determine exactly what records have been lost and their Lost Records Localities Database to find additional resources. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Weisiger, Benjamin B. Burned County Data 1809-1848 As Found in the Virginia Contested Election Files. Richmond, Va., 1986. FHL Book 975.5 P2w.

Boundary Changes

Parent County: Created in 1634 County Seat: Williamsburg Interactive Map of Virginia County Formation History (1790-1897) - animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes Virginia Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

James City County, Virginia Places/Localities

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Unincorporated communities
Croaker Grove Jamestown	Lanexa Lightfoot	Norge Toano
Ghost towns
Wolstenholme

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

• 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FHL. [Includes a section on Williamsburg silversmiths.]

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of James City County, Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find A Grave VAGenWeb USGenWeb Archives VA Tombstone Transcription Project Virginia Gravestones BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find A Grave FamilySearch Places
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

• For a map plotting all of the cemeteries, see Google Maps: Cemeteries in James City County, Virginia.
• 1800-1986 Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Tyler, Lyon G. "Old Tombstones in York and James City Counties," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1893):78-86. Digital version at JSTOR - free.
  
  

Census Records

For databases, indexes, and information online, see Virginia Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	4,070	—
1800	3,931	−3.4%
1810	4,094	4.1%
1820	4,563	11.5%
1830	3,838	−15.9%
1840	3,779	−1.5%
1850	4,020	6.4%
1860	5,798	44.2%
1870	4,425	−23.7%
1880	5,422	22.5%
1890	5,643	4.1%
1900	3,688	−34.6%
1910	3,624	−1.7%
1920	3,676	1.4%
1930	3,879	5.5%
1940	4,907	26.5%
1950	6,317	28.7%
1960	11,539	82.7%
1970	17,853	54.7%
1980	22,763	27.5%
1990	34,859	53.1%
2000	48,102	38.0%
2010	67,009	39.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. Federal Censuses (Population Schedules) of James City County can be accessed on the Internet. For tips on accessing census records online, see Virginia Census.

1782 Enumeration of Williamsburg

• City of Williamsburg Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. Williamsburg begins on page 45.

1790 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation. 1800 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation. 1810 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.

1860
Census takers uncharacteristically recorded the birth town or birth county for residents of Williamsburg this census year.

1890 Union Veterans

• Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes residents of this county.]

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

For a detailed list, including addresses, phone numbers, and external links, see James City County, Virginia Churches. The following is a list of churches in James City County:

Chickahominy Baptist Church Hickory Neck Church James River Baptist Church Jamestown Church Jamestown Presbyterian Church Mount Gilead Baptist Church Mount Pleasant Baptist Church

New Zion Baptist Church Olive Branch Christian Church Our Saviour's Evangelical Lutheran Church Shiloh Baptist Church Smith Memorial Baptist Church Williamsburg Mennonite Church Zion Baptist Church

For a map plotting all of the churches, see Google Maps: Churches in James City County, Virginia.

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. James City (1773)
2. Williamsburg (1791)

• 1776 Petition of Baptists (10,000 names!) and sympathizers from all over Virginia, dated 16 October 1776, asking for an end to persecution of Baptists by the established church. After locating your ancestor, view the digital copies.
  – Digital copies at Library of Congress; also at Library of Virginia using the code word "000606093"
  – Hall, Jean Pickett. "Legislative Petitions: the 10,000 name petition" transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39, (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Genealogical Society, 1983-) online at Ancestry ($) and in book form at various libraries.
  James City County fell within the bounds of the Dover Association.

Church of England

See also Argall's Gift Parish	See also Martin's Hundred Parish
See also Blisland Parish	See also Middle Plantation Parish
See also Bruton Parish	See also Middletowne Parish
See also Chickahominy Parish	See also St. Peter's Parish
See also Chippokes Parish	See also Southwark Parish
See also Harrop Parish	See also Wallingford Parish
See also Hog Island Parish	See also Wilmington Parish
See also James City Parish	See also Yorkhampton Parish
See also Lawnes Creek Parish

• Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of James City County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Oct. 1939):510-530. Available at JSTOR ($).
• Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1945. Available at FHL; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records
The Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse is located at: 5201 Monticello Avenue
Williamsburg, VA 23188-8218
(757) 564-2242

• Circuit Court Clerk has birth records 1865--1883 death records 1864-1884
• Marriage, divorce, probate, county, and land records from 1865

The Courthouse houses records for both the City of Williamsburg and James City County, which are separate municipalities.Deeds for each municipality are maintained separately and may have different numbering schemes (e.g., six digit instrument numbers for Williamsburg deeds and nine digit instrument numbers for James City County deeds). The Clerk's Office in the Circuit Court has a variety of City of Williamsburg and James City County records including deed and will books, twenteith-century tax records, tax assessors, maps, plats, military induction records, marriage records, death records, order books, and other documents. The Courthouse maintains a searchable computer-based index for deeds, marriages, and wills, as follows:

Chancery	1993-present
Deeds	1982-present
Marriages	1968-present
Wills	1992-present

You must visit the courthouse reading room in person (8:30 - 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday) in order to search the computer index.Recent records are added to the index within about a week. The Clerk of Circuit Court does not accept mail in requests.However, all James City County records are available on microfilm through Interlibrary Loan via the Library of Virginia.Scanners are not permitted; cameras may or may not be allowed.A copier is available.

Chancery Court

• Indexes (1799-1967) and images (1799-1933) to James City County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

General Court of Virginia

• "Bridge over Powhatan Swamp, in James City County," [1670] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Oct. 1903):137. Available at JSTOR ($). [Cites Records of General Court of Virginia, MSS.]

Emigration and Immigration

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

Jamestown, along the James River, and Williamsburg, situated between the James River and the York River, have been ports since colonial times. No official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

• Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Includes wills of residents of Brewerton Parish, Cape Henry, Carey's Fort, James City County, James River, Jamestown, Martin's Hundred, and Williamsburg proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.
• "John Clayton, of James City, Afterwards of Crofton, Yorkshire," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr. 1921):114-115. Available at JSTOR ($).
• "Letters to Tom Pecke, of James City County," [1659] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Apr. 1897):269-270. Available at JSTOR ($). [Discusses importation of indentured servants and other mercantile activities.]
• List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Virginia are online at: Immigrant Servants Database.
  
• Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" [Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries], The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• Pead, Deuel and Richard Beale Davis. "A Sermon Preached at James City in Virginia the 23rd of April 1686, Before the Loyal Society of Citizens Born in and about London and Inhabiting in Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul. 1960):371-394. Available at JSTOR ($).
• "1607 Settlers of Jamestown (list of names) at Virginia Pioneers ($)

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

• 1865-1872 Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Heinegg, Paul. "James City County Personal Property Tax Lists, 1782-1814," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• Johnson, Martha C. Black Families of Elizabeth City Co., VA, 1800-1990: Research of Families of Callis, Davis, Simpson, Radcliff, Originating from Gloucester Co., Mathews Co., York, and James Counties and Elizabeth Co., Hampton, Virginia. FHL Collection 1728886 Item 2.
• Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images related to African Americans of James City County.

Genealogies

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

• See James City County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles, or jump to the surname by using the alphabet bar.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families

• For earliest residents: McCartney, Martha W. Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2007. Available at FHL.
• Foley, Louise Pledge Heath. Early Virginia Families Along the James River, Their Deep Roots and Tangled Branches. 3 vols. Richmond, Va.: L.P.H. Foley, 1974-1990. FHL Book 975.5 R2f v. 1-v. 3. Volume 3 includes James City County families.
  

Land and Property Records

For land indexes, records, and databases, see Virginia Land and Property, including Colonial and State Land Grants.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Grants and Patents
Land patents (pre-1779), land grants (after 1779) and surveys are available online at the Library of Virginia website. For step-by-step instructions on retrieving these records, read the Virginia Land and Property article.*Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1666. Vol. I (1934; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1991). Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes James City County. N.B. If Ancestry's search engine fails, try checking the printed index at the end of the book.]

• "Patents Issued during the Regal Government: James City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Apr. 1903):271-276; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Oct. 1903):104-110; Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jan. 1904):185-191. Available at JSTOR ($).
• 1704 Quit Rents at Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1742-1775 Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775. Vol. II. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Local Histories

• Martha W. McCartney, James City County: Keystone of the Commonwealth (Virginia Beach, Va: Donning Company/Publishers, 1997), 640 pgs (Google e-book ($))
• Virginia Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Historic Buildings

• "Old Houses in James City County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Oct. 1937):528. Available at JSTOR ($).
• "Old Houses in James City, York, and Warwick Counties," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan. 1938). Available at JSTOR ($).
• "Old Houses in James City and King William Counties," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul. 1938). Available at JSTOR ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For map collections, online and in libraries, see Virginia Maps.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Doyle, James W. "Charles City County Land Grants, Neighbors and Families," Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 6, No. 1 (May/June 1997):5-16. FHL Collection 975.51 D25t
• FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this couinty - How to Use FS Places

Migration

• Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):199-208; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):43-50. Available at FHL; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. James City County's 1787-1790 Delinquent Lists appear on 20:207-208; additional 1789 Delinquent Lists appear on 22:43-44.]

Military Records

French and Indian War

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some James City County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]
• 1651-1776 Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 M2c; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.

Colonial Militia

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some James City County militia officers and/or soldiers; see place name index.]
• Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. Available at FHL; digital version at Google Books. [Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch [French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War] with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For James City County, see pp. 87, 111.]
• 1651-1776 Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 M2c; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.

War of 1812

• List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, James City County, p. 86. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Regiments. James City County men served in the 68th Regiment.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)

Regiments. Civil War service men in James City County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed here:

- 1st Regiment, Virginia Artillery (Confederate). Company B (James City Artillery)

- 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company I (1st) (James City Troop or Cavalry)

- 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).

- 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate). Company H (James City Cavalry).

- 10th Battalion, Virginia Heavy Artillery (Allen's) (Confederate). Company D (Jamestown Heavy Artillery) presumably from James City County.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1906-1929 Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

• The Virginia Gazette
  

There are two distinct publication time frames for newspapers titled The Virginia Gazette. The newspaper was first published weekly in Williamsburg, Virginia during much of the 18th century, when Williamsburg was the capital of the colony. Beginning in 1766, another printer launched a competing publication by the same name.In total, three different publishers used the name "Virginia Gazette" during the Colonial era, and are listed separately in the digital collection, grouped by publisher. Digitized images of the paper can be viewed on-line through the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Digital Library. The collection is indexed for publication years 1736 to 1780.Williamsburg Regional Library has microfilm of the Colonial era collection, as well. More recently, the Virginia Gazette was revived in 1930 by publisher J.A. Osborne as part of the first Colonial Williamsburg renovation.

• The Richmond Dispatch
  

Digitized images of the paper through the Library of Congress. Collection covers from 1900 to 1903.

• The Times (Richmond, Va)
  

Digitized images of the paper through the Library of Congress. Collection covers from 1901 and 1903.

• The Richmond Times-Dispatch
  

Digitized images of the paper through the Library of Congress. Collection covers from 1907 to 1910.

• The Geography of Slavery in Virginia
  

Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in the Virginia Gazette and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803).

Other Records

Private Papers

• 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Jamestown Related Records
The Jamestown Records of the Virginia Company of London: Part of the Thomas Jefferson Collection at the Library of Congress

Probate Records

For probate records, indexes, and databases, see Virginia Probate Records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

Original Wills

• Hopkins, William Lindsay. Some Wills from the Burned Counties of Virginia and Other Wills Not Listed in Virginia Wills and Administrations 1632-1800. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1987. Available at FHL. [Includes James City County.]
• "Will of William Broadribb, of James City Co., Va." [1703], The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jul. 1905):35-37. Available at JSTOR ($).
• "Will of Col. James Shields of James City County" [1795], The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jul. 1911):36-38. Available at JSTOR ($).
• Images of Wills & Estates, Bk No. 1, 1865-1887 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Power of Attorney

• Kerr, John H. (Mrs.) "Drummond, a James City County, Virginia, Records," [1679] The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1971):109-110. Online at American Ancestors

London Courts

• Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Brewerton Parish [Bruton Parish], Bruton Parish, Cape Henry, Carey's Fort, James City County, James River, Jamestown, Martin's Hundred, and Williamsburg proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

York County, Virginia Court
York County Probate Records This collection includes digitized images of the probate records from York County during the colonial period. York county abuts James City County, and these records include information from Williamsburg, Virginia.The images are provided by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The records can be digitally searched.

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Tax Records

For additional online collections and the value and use of Virginia's tax lists in your research, see Virginia Taxation.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

• 1704 "Virginia Quit Rent Rolls, 1704," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 28 (1920):207-218, 328-339; Vol. 29 (1921):18-28, 337-343, 402-412; Vol. 30 (1922):21-30, 280-285, 341-347; Vol. 31 (1923):70-75, 153-163, 215-231, 314-318; Vol. 32 (1924):69-75, 144-158, 281-287, 338-343; Vol. 33 (1925):47-50, 359-370; Vol. 34 (1926):113-119, 252-258, 313, 321. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version of VMHB at JSTOR ($). [James City County appears in 31:153-163.]
• 1704 See also 1783.
• 1768-1769 James City County, Virginia, Tax Book, 1768-1769. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; also available at FHL.
• 1768-1769 Woodson, Robert F. and Isobel B. Woodson. Virginia Tithables from Burned Record Counties: Buckingham, 1773-1774; Gloucester, 1770-1771, 1774-1775; Hanover, 1763 and 1770; James City, 1768-1769; Stafford, 1768 and 1773. Richmond, Virginia: I.B. Woodson, 1970. Available at FHL.
• 1768 "James City County, Virginia, Sheriff's Tax Book, 1768," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1957):18-22; Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1957):69-72. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• 1768, 1783 Hansford, Thelma. Tax Lists York County 1782, 1783, 1784; Rent Roll York County 1704, Gloucester 1704, Warwick 1704; James City County Taxes 1768. Virginia?: T.I. Hansford?, 1950. Available at FHL. [1768 list taken from article in The Virginia Genealogist; 1783 property tax taken from the magazine section.]
• 1769 Tax Book, 1769, Tidewater Virginia Families, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Feb. 1997); Vol. 6, No. 1 (May 1997); Vol. 6, No. 2 (Aug. 1997). Available at FHL.
• 1782 Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; FHL. [1782 personal property tax list of James City County.]
• 1782 Weaver, Jeffrey C. "The 1782 James City County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List," transcribed 1998. Available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
• 1782-1814 Heinegg, Paul. "James City County Personal Property Tax Lists, 1782-1814," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• 1783 - Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
• 1783 Stewart, Robert Armistead. "First Tax List of the Commonwealth of Virginia: Property Tax List of James City County, 1783 [and] Family Names Above Occurring in the Quit Rent Roll of James City County, 1704," The Researcher: A Magazine of History and Genealogical Exchange, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Apr. 1927):175-177. Available at FHL.
• 1787 Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. James City County is included in Vol. 2.]
• 1787-1790 Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1976):199-208; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):43-50. Available at FHL; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. James City County's 1787-1790 Delinquent Lists appear on 20:207-208; additional 1789 Delinquent Lists appear on 22:43-44.]
• 1788 Weaver, Jeffrey C. "The 1788 James City County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List," transcribed 1998. Available at New River Notes.
• 1790, 1800 Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of James City County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• 1790, 1800 Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Land Tax Lists of James City County, Virginia are available online at Binns Genealogy.
• 1810 Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. James City County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
• 1815 Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. James City County is included in Vol. 3.]

Vital Records

For additional indexes, databases, and details, see Virginia Vital Records.

• The records management room in the County's Government Complex contains microphils of the Board of Supervisor's Meeting Minutes from September 10, 1887 on. Microfilm of the Board of Supervisor's Meeting Minutes are also available on microfilm through the Library of Virginia.
  

Birth

• 1853-1866 Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1912-1913 Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1584-1917 Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Fridley, Beth, comp. James City County Virginia Birth Records, 1853-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001. Available at Ancestry ($).

Marriage

• 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
• 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1785-1940 Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
• 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

• 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1912 Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

• 1918-1988 - Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in James City County. For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Gloucester Virginia Family History Center
• Newport News Virginia Family History Center
• Williamsburg Virginia Family History Center

• Heritage Public Library - New Kent - an affiliate library
• Williamsburg Regional Libraries - James City County Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in James City County. For state-wide library facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

America's First FamiliesWebsite

Ancient Planters, Descendants ofWebsite

Ancient Planter WikipediaWebsite

• Tidewater Genealogical Society

Local Resources
The Williamsburg Regional Library

The WRL is the central library for the City of Williamsburg and James City County

Swem Library at The College of William & Mary

Swem Library is the central research library for The College of William and Mary.

The John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library

This library is operated by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Its contains secondary and primary materials on the colonial history of Virginia.

The Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture

The Omohundro Institute is a joint research institute between The College of William & Mary and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, focusing on academic research on early American history.

State Resources
Virginia Genealogical Society

Virginia Historical Society

The Library of Virginia

The Library of Virginia has an extensive collection of documents related to James City County including:

Board of Supervisor Minutes: Sept. 1887 to 1908, Court Minutes: 1871-1882, Clerk's Guide to Sample Forms for Certain Court Records, undated, Chancery Execution Book: 1868-1916, Chancery Minutes: 1871-1873, Chancery Order Books: 1889-1903, Chancery Rules: 1872-1911, Execution Book: 1866-1916, Judgment Docket: 1865-1903, Law Execution Book: 1866-1882, Circuit Court Order Book: 1879-1885, James City County and Williamsburg Fiduciary Bond Book: 1865-1908, James City County and Williamsburg Plat Books: 1891-1918, Birth Register: 1866-1884, Death Register: 1864-1884, School Commissioners Records: 1819-1861, Tax Book: 1768-1769, Deed and Will Books: 1854-1861, 1865-1874 Land Tax Lists: 1782 on, Personal Property Tax Lists: 1782 on, Agricultural Census Records: 1850-1880, Census Records: full run, Slave Schedules: 1850 and 1860, Processioners Records: 1890-1891, 1903-1904 James City County/Williamsburg Rolls of Registered Voters: 1900-1965, James City County/Williamsburg Contracts for Personal Property: 1900-1918

Societies

Listed below are societies in James City County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Virginia Societies.

Websites

• Official James City County Website
• James City County, Virginia USGENWEB
• James City County on Wikipedia
• Cyndi's List

• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

• Davis, Virginia Lee Hutcheson. "Records of Tidewater Virginia Counties," Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 1, No. 2 (May-June 1992):53-66. FHL Collection 975.51 D25t [For James City County, see p. 59]
• Dorman, John Frederick. "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: James City County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1971):15-17. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• Duvall, Lindsay O., Library of Congress. Manuscript Division and Virginia State Library. Archives and Record Division. James City County, Virginia, 1634-1904: Abstracts of Genealogical Contents of Mss Volumes in the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., & Archives Division, Virginia State Library, Richmond, Va. Washington, D.C.: L.O. Duvall, 1957. 975.5 N2fb ser. 2 v. 4

These three research guides were prepared by John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Colonial Williamsburg:

• Researching Seventeenth-Century Virginians
• Researching Williamsburg Area Virginians
• Researching Revolutionary Era Virginians

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a family history center.